Fifteen Years
by Treewater
Summary: It only takes a day to forget what we were taught and to turn into something we thought we never would. It takes fifteen years to remember it all again and turn back. AU Vampires/Werewolves. Kakasaku, Asuino, Asukure, Genshizu


A/N: I think this is the longest oneshot I've ever done. O.o Feel free to make spinoffs, because this is quite a perfect story for that and I don't feel like the one to do it. Just remember to give me credit. XD

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

**Fifteen Years**

The bar was filled with smoke, alcohol and the scum of the earth that one scraped off their boot using the edge of a doorstep. It was the perfect place for a vampire to meet up with his werewolf partner. Of course, it also happened to be the perfect place for the hunters of such creatures to meet up with _their _partners. But fortunately, as long as Hatake Kakashi kept his mouth closed and his fangs well out of sight, no one would be able to tell his true identity, not even the hunter he was hunting himself. He could sit down with Asuma, who would be protected from the power of the full moon because of the cloudy skies, and he could order the reddest wine on the menu while his friend drank the strongest whiskey available. Ah, yes. That would be the perfect night.

Kakashi strode raggedly into the bar (ragged only because of an old limp he couldn't remember acquiring), tossing back the hood of his cloak with a mighty flourish and a rustle of cloth. He caught sight of Asuma sitting in the corner with his head thrown back and some clear alcohol draining from the glass while the werewolf's Adam's apple bobbed up and down in rhythm with his swallows. He went swiftly over and pulled back the chair, sitting down with a thump from his leather boots hitting the wooden floor. He put his feet up on the back of a second chair. Giving Asuma a glance as his friend set the glass down and sighed, he asked, "So, what'd you order me, hairy ass?"

"Nothing," Asuma snapped, "when you say that." He poured himself another drink from the square bottle by his side. Kakashi could see that he was already slightly drunk, and pulled the bottle away from him. Asuma's snarl only made him grin as he wagged the bottle in front of his face.

"What is this crud, anyway, fuzzy?" he asked.

"Nothing for you," Asuma said. "Give it back."

Kakashi sniffed at the bottle's rim, frowned, and took a swig. The fire of it sent his limbs tingling, and he set the bottle down with a choking gasp. "What is that?" he asked. "Acid?"

"Vodka," said Asuma gruffly. "It's this new drink they've brought over from Europe."

Kakashi looked at the label. "It's all alcohol!" he said. "You'll kill yourself drinking all of this, sharp-tooth!"

"Do you ever stop coming up with nicknames for me?" Asuma growled, throwing back his head in a mock howl as he drained his glass once more. "And be careful what you call me in here. Remember there are hunters." He gestured to the two women sitting at the bar chatting with the bartender. He was cleaning out a glass, smiling and laughing with them. The pink-haired woman caught Kakashi's eye. Was that old fool leering at her? She didn't deserve that. No, she deserved a creature well-experienced in all aspects of pleasure, from smiles to sex. Perhaps… a vampire?

But no, she was his enemy, and enemies must be destroyed. He stood up with a sigh, pushing back his chair. Tonight was a selfish night. He would show her nothing, but he would tempt her into thinking that he would, and then he would suck her doubtlessly sweet blood right out of her throat.

"Where are you going?" asked Asuma, looking up.

"To have myself a meal. You take the other one once I've gone," said Kakashi.

He glided over to the bar and let his long, pale hand just brush the woman's shoulder, covered in her white traveler's smock. She started and turned away from the conversation she'd been having, and as soon as their eyes met he knew she was under his spell. Her eyes hooded instantly, but for only a moment, because her blonde companion shook her slightly and turned her back to their drinks.

Kakashi took note of their alcohol. The pink-haired woman was drinking a pale wine, probably dry and distasteful, and her friend was drinking whiskey straight from the bottle. Asuma would like her.

Kakashi slid into the seat next to his target. He made a show of noticing the wine and then called the bartender over to himself, pulling him away from his conversation with the women. "Two glasses of your richest red," he ordered, and when the pink-haired woman looked curiously at him, he grinned and winked.

The wine was set before him, and he pushed one glass towards his target. "It has more taste than white," he said. "You looked like you could do for a bite in your drink." He put the tiniest emphasis on the word "bite" to raise the stakes a little. She was a hunter—if she picked up on his allusion, he could be dead in a matter of seconds.

"Thanks," she said, taking the glass. The two brought them together with a slight ping before sipping and smiling to each other in an unspoken toast. After the first sip, her eyes widened, and she glanced at her drink in shock. "It's delicious! Spicy and sweet…" She turned to her friend. "Ino, you have to try this!"

"Ew, Sakura, it looks like blood."

"And your drink looks like mushroom juice. Just try it, Ino."

"I'll stick with my whiskey, thanks, Haruno. You go talk with your new beau over there." The blonde waved her hand dismissively and Sakura turned back to Kakashi with a pout on her face.

"You have good tastes," she said, smiling again.

"Yes, I've been told that," Kakashi said. He leaned closer towards her, catching her scent. Dear blood, she smelled incredible. "And you have good tastes to recognize that I've got good tastes." He reached up to stroke her jaw softly just beneath the ear, and her eyes fluttered shut, her mouth opening in wonder as he brought an interesting coolness to that area of her skin with just his fingers. Her brow furrowed with concentration on his action.

He leaned forward to whisper in her ear, and she gasped in shock at the heat of his breath where his skin was so wonderfully cool. "Shall we go somewhere quieter?"

She nodded, just barely, and he grinned, kissing that neck that was so full of blood before standing and offering her his hand. She took it, seemingly without a second thought, and stood, leaving a protesting Ino in her wake as she followed Kakashi obediently out.

He spun and twirled her for a few minutes out in the quiet street to the faint music that was coming from the immigrants' pub down the way. The sitars of the Indians brought the wet, cloudy night a dreamlike quality that even touched the normally stoic vampire.

Soon Sakura was sweating and panting and her gaze was always locked on his in a mesmerized fascination that matched the steps of their sitar-style waltz. Quickly, he twirled her to his chest and slipped into a dark alley. The sitar could still be faintly heard, along with Roma tambourines that added an eclectic world spice to the cobbled roads and seedy inns of this Japanese town.

He pressed her up against the wall and breathed heavily in her ear. "My, you dance wonderfully," he whispered, kissing her neck and breathing in that heady aroma that smelled so strongly of the blood pulsing only a hair's breadth away. How he wanted it.

"So… so do you. Your limp makes it more interesting," she whispered breathlessly. She was driving him wild. He had to drink that blood. He had to drink it now!

With a wild hiss of glee and a fantastic baring of those inch-long fangs of his, Kakashi curled his hand on the far side of Sakura's neck and bit her, sinking his teeth into her flesh as easily as a knife through butter. He pressed her closer to him. His eyes flickered with pleasure as he swallowed that first glorious mouthful. He felt her breath catch in her throat and moaned.

That's when he paused. That's when he felt it, with his teeth still an inch into the junction of her neck and shoulder, the burning white gold of the gun in her hand. He lifted his teeth out of her, slowly, and straightened to look at her with a cold, calculating eye. Gold was deadly to him—he was lucky this was only the painful burn of white gold. His face was devoid of expression even while he took delight in seeing her bleed and pant and sag against the wall. He took pride in the fact that her blood was dribbling from his chin for her to see.

"You… you're a vampire," she said, closing her eyes in pain. He cupped her cheek with his hand as the gun quivered against his skin. He leaned forward and breathed in her face.

"That pain must be dizzying," he murmured.

"N-no," she growled thickly, and pressed the gun under his chin so that it choked him. "I-I'll blast of your head."

"White gold gun with white gold bullets," Kakashi said, clucking his tongue slightly. "No good. Why don't you just let me drink you dry, darling? You are quite delicious."

She was shaking so badly from the loss of the blood that was draining from her wound that her arm dropped and she only succeeded in shooting his shoulder. He stumbled back with a hiss. Then he smiled. He'd already secreted his poison into her bloodstream—she was beginning to sweat, and her eyes were beginning to roll around blearily with her pain. She was beginning to turn. His grin widened even as he fell from his own pain (the damn gold was already beginning to poison him).

That's when he heard it. The howl of his friend as the moon came into full view struck the air like a wailing trumpet, along with the scream of another woman.

Sakura came aware enough to say, "Ino!" before she slipped into unconsciousness and fell forward into Kakashi's waiting arms.

—

Sakura awoke in a cream-colored bed with sheets like satin pulled up to her chin. Ino lay sleeping beside her, and Sakura sat up, putting her hand to her forehead to stop the dizziness that suddenly erupted throughout her skull. She groaned, and then a figure robed in black emerged at the door as though summoned. Spiky silver hair hung in front of his face, and as he grinned she could see two long, sharp fangs.

"You!" she said, pointing at him accusingly. She realized quickly that she was completely naked, and pulled the blankets up to cover herself with a blush. "You're that vampire from last night!" She cast around quickly for her gun, but when she did not find it, she settled for glaring at her captor instead.

The man chuckled. "My name is Hatake Kakashi, and you'll be less than pleased to know that it's been nearly a week since that wonderful night." He gestured to her shoulder, and she looked down, but saw nothing. "There's a scar from my teeth there," he explained. He began to stroll around the room, limping slightly, waving his hands languidly as he spoke. "I tried to turn you but you've got the blood of titans in you, it seems. Your body rejected my poison."

"My grandmother was Princess Tsunade, the titan. Of course I would be immune to your poison," Sakura snapped. "You won't make an undead out of me, vampire." She spat the word and he turned to her, frowning.

"I was actually hoping to kill you outright," he said, seeming to float towards her. He reached out a hand and she flinched away, but he caught her chin and wrenched her face so that she was forced to look at him. "But your fucking gun got in the way." He let her go and pulled down the sleeve of his robe to expose his pale shoulder, turned black by a massive bruise. The veins spiraled away from the wound like black spider webs, testament to the poison of the bullet and the wreckage it had caused.

"So, what," Sakura said coldly, raising her chin and sniffing, "are you going to kill me now?"

"No," Kakashi said, replacing his sleeve back over his arm. "You belong to me now, just as your friend Ino belongs to the werewolf Asuma. And unlike you, she's not immune to the poison of monsters. The full moon is three weeks away." He grinned wickedly and turned to head for the closet across the room. Opening it, he drew out a long red dress and tossed it onto the foot of the bed on Sakura's side.

"If you'd kindly put it on and join me for dinner," he said with a polite bow.

"Where's my gun?" Sakura asked after eying the dress for a few moments.

"You'll have it for protection from me, if you want," Kakashi said. "I'll go get it for you. Be dressed in ten minutes, if you will." And he left, closing the door behind him.

Sakura slipped out of bed. The biting cold struck her naked body like Kakashi's teeth piercing her neck that night last week, and she grabbed the red dress out of instinct. How she became naked in the first place was a question she planned to ask the vampire at gunpoint, if necessary. She slipped into the dress, the skirt of which came down in a straight cut to her toes, and tightened the corset in front, looking into the mirror on the wall as she did so. She found herself momentarily surprised that a vampire would have a mirror, but, then again, as he seemed to live with a werewolf, it didn't seem so weird after all. Then she noticed her reflection, and paused.

The rich wine-red of the dress augmented her hair perfectly. The long sleeves whose cuffs enclosed her slender wrists and tapered to a stiff narrow point over the back of her hand ended just below the beginnings of her shoulder. The neckline cut across her collarbone and exposed the valley of her breasts straight down to her stomach were she to bend down. The built-in corset was stiff, but set off her hourglass figure so much so that it was almost as if she had no waist at all.

"May I help you, Miss Sakura?"

The voice startled her, and she jumped about a foot in the air, whirling around to stare at the pale wraith that had seemingly materialized out of the wall. He had blond hair and strange tattoos on his face, and blue eyes that may have once been brilliant, but now had faded to a dull gray, verging on red. Those eyes were hooded, and he was dressed in a black suit, his arms crossed as though he was waiting for her.

"Were you… were you watching me dress?" Sakura asked, aghast.

"Kakashi-sensei sent me here to help you if you needed it," the man said. He waved his hand dismissively. "He said something about your hair. And to answer your question, Miss Sakura, no, I did not watch you dress."

Sakura glanced back to the mirror. Her hair was a mess… She turned back to the man and asked, "What's your name?"

"Uzumaki Naruto, son of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina."

"Well then, Naruto, yes, you can help me with my hair. Do it however Hatake likes, if you please."

Naruto stepped forward, gliding across the room in a few easy steps on his long legs. He grabbed the brush from the vanity table, a black brush that appeared to be made of obsidian, and swiftly began to unravel the knots in Sakura's hair. She was shocked that she felt no pain, no tug on her scalp at all. Soon, in the mirror, her hair lay smooth. But she started at the fact that Naruto had no reflection at all.

"Vampire…" she whispered.

"Yes?" Naruto asked, pausing as he reached for a hairclip.

"You're a vampire," Sakura said.

"Yes."

"Did Kakashi turn you?"

"No, he took me in as his apprentice. I was born to vampire parents, but they died. My grandfather, Jiraiya, sent me here for… training, if you will. I expect he'll come for me eventually." He gently clipped Sakura's front locks back and reached for a long black stick to twist her hair into a tight bun. "Is that uncomfortable?"

"No, no, you're very good," Sakura said reassuringly. Naruto finished his work and stepped back to admire it. Sakura glanced at him—color had been brought to his face. He was smiling, and his eyes were brighter and less droopy.

"You look very happy," she said.

"It's been a while since I've seen a human woman," Naruto said.

"I'm a half-titan," Sakura snapped.

Naruto laughed. "So says your temper. Now, Kakashi-sensei should be waiting for you in the dining room. Sasuke has prepared your meals."

He bowed and gestured to the door.

"What about Ino?" Sakura asked, glancing back at her friend.

"Shikamaru will be looking after her with Chouji until Asuma-sensei returns." Naruto went and opened the door, and Sakura went through it and down the narrow hall, glancing at him curiously as she went.

The hall's carpeting was the same shade of red as her dress. The walls held sconces every ten feet or so with candles lighting her path to the opening at the end of the way. She was surprised there were no scorch marks on the ceilings or walls and no wax that dripped on to the floor—but this was a vampire's home, she must remember, and vampires took care of their lairs much more differently than did humans and half-titans.

When she reached the end of the hallway, a dark figure swept in front of her, running his long pale hands up and down her arms and breathing in her scent, the air from his lips cascading across her neck in a boiling hot river. Silver hair blurred her vision as Kakashi's lips dragged their way gently up to the shell of her ear, where he kissed her once before straightening and stepping back away from her.

"My, my, you look beautiful," he said. "Like a true she-vampire." He leaned against the long table behind him that was clothed in white and picked up the wine glass that rested beside him. He raised the glass in a toast and took a mouthful. But Sakura saw the lack of transparency in the wine, the lack of that hint of purple that wine needed, the lack of the smell of grapes.

"You're drinking blood," she said coldly.

Kakashi sucked his teeth and put the glass down. "I am a vampire, my dear," he said. "Humans and half-titans eat pigs and cows, and in turn, I eat them."

"Where's my gun?" Sakura whispered. She had to admit to herself that she was beginning to become frightened. The effects this creature had on her were making her dizzy, and she knew that was what he wanted, but just the fact that he could elicit the reactions he wanted so easily from her was terrifying. She wanted to shoot him. She wanted to kill him, to drive a stake through his heart and shove his mouth full of garlic.

Kakashi took from inside of his coat pocket that white gold gun. His hand was gloved in leather so the metal wouldn't burn him, and he held it out to her. She took it roughly and checked the magazine to make sure the bullets were in. They were. She snapped it back in, gave Kakashi a little smile, and shot him in the chest. He stumbled back and screamed in pain, lurching forward and clutching at the wound, reaching for her with malice scrawled on his face.

"Haruno… Sakura…!" he snarled. He grabbed her wrist as she prepared to shoot him again, and the bullet ricocheted off into the ceiling. He threw her back against the wall and pinned her there, panting hard in her face.

"I give you drink, I give you pleasure," Kakashi yelled harshly. Blood from his chest fell in pools between them to the floor. "I give you bed, I give you dress! And you repay me by trying to destroy me, by trying to shoot a hole through my undead heart with a white gold bullet that burns!" He had to stop shouting at her to gasp for breath, then he looked up again into her face, baring his teeth. "Well, it won't work," he said more softly, though his voice still sounded wet and harsh. "I'm a vampire."

His grip on her wrist began to loosen then, and his enraged expression grew slack as his eyes began to mist over with unconsciousness. Then, he collapsed to the floor with a heavy thump.

"I know it won't work," Sakura said coldly. "But now I'm prepared for you, Hatake Kakashi."

She swept off down the corridor, not caring where she was going as long as it was away from him. She could feel hidden eyes on her, but didn't care—let them attack her; she would shoot them all. Ino was unfortunately a lost cause. She knew that someone must have the antidote for werewolf poison, and if she could find that person, that would be wonderful. But three weeks was an extremely short amount of time to get that antidote, and now she had a vampire prince breathing down her neck.

Suddenly, Naruto dropped from the ceiling, startling her. On instinct, she pointed her gun at his face.

"Whoa, Miss Sakura!" he said, throwing up his hands. They were covered in blood. "I'm not here to stop you."

"Then what are you doing?" Sakura asked, narrowing her eyes as she placed her other hand on the gun's butt to help steady it.

"I just checked on Kakashi-sensei, and he's fine. He won't be waking up for a while, but he's fine. I took out the bullet and Sasuke helped me carry him to his room, but I'm sick of waiting for Grandfather Jiraiya to return. I'm coming with you."

Sakura lowered her gun. "You'll drink animal blood only," she said, "or blood that I drain from my arm for you. That's it, you got it?"

Naruto nodded eagerly and grabbed her hand, pulling her into a stumbling run as she clutched the skirt of the dress to keep it out of the way of her feet. "This way," the vampire said, turning to the left.

They burst through a large double door and the freezing autumn night struck Sakura just like the chill of the room had.

"Grab onto me!" Naruto called, and he hoisted her into a piggyback position before running at an amazing speed down one of the steepest slopes Sakura had ever seen. It was almost a straight cliff face.

They swept down the slope at a furious pace. The wind bit and lashed at Sakura's face, making her eyes water so that she had to bury her nose into Naruto's thick collar. She closed her eyes and didn't dare open them until he slowed to a brisk walk and then a stop.

She heard his hearty chuckle. "It's all right, Miss Sakura. It's okay to get down now."

She slipped off his back and to the cold ground below. She looked at her clothes and ran her fingers through her hair, which had come loose. All of Naruto's work, gone.

"The town Kakashi-sensei attacked you in is right below this hill," Naruto said, pointing to the lights. "It's called Konoha, I think."

Sakura stood and brushed off her dress. "All right. We both need to get some new clothes. A dress is completely impractical, and a black business suit won't do, either. Besides," she said, pointing to Naruto's pants, which had been mucked up from his swift run down the cliff, "your pants are disgusting." She wrinkled her nose in distaste.

Naruto looked down and raised his arms like wings so he could see a bit better. He laughed at the dark mud that clung to him like sour frosting.

"You're right, of course," he said with a grin her way.

Sakura frowned, though, and said, "All of the dressing rooms will have mirrors." She pinched the bridge of her nose in thought, then snapped her fingers and laughed delightedly. "Tenzou will know what to do!"

"Tenzou?" Naruto asked, grimacing.

"Captain Yamato used to be the head of an elite team of hunters," Sakura explained. "He knows the ins and outs of every type of monster known to man, and as long as I point a gun at him first, he won't dare shoot you. He'll get me some extra supplies and will probably be able to tell you how to bypass the mirrors."

Naruto's grimace deepened. "Why do you people hate us so much?" he asked.

"Tenzou's family was killed by a pack of werewolves when he was younger. He escaped into a grove of silver maples where they couldn't follow because of the poison, and then, later, his best friend was taken by vampires. He swore to hunt down every monster he could, so of course he hates your kind," Sakura said. "I don't hate you; I just do it for the bounties on your heads if one of you is ever wanted for a crime. I joined ANBU for the training and then left because I didn't like all of the tight-asses. I didn't want to kill indiscriminately. Tenzou's still a part of that group, I think, but they don't call on him much anymore."

"All right," Naruto said a bit nervously. "You'll protect me from him, right?"

"Of course, you blockhead," Sakura snapped, and the vampire cowered. "What kind of a friend would I be if I didn't?" She gasped at what she said and covered her mouth a squeak.

"Wait a minute; did you just call me your friend?" Naruto asked incredulously. She nodded, shocked. Suddenly the air left her lungs as Naruto whisked her into a bone-crushing hug. He kissed both of her cheeks and her forehead before setting her down.

"I've never had a friend before," he said with a grin plastered on his face. "Not really, anyway."

"Well, let's go," Sakura said, blushing.

"Hop on." Naruto gestured to his back. "I can leap over the roofs and you can direct me where to go so no one sees us."

Sakura nodded. "Right," she said.

—

They landed in front of a small plant store some time later, and stepped inside. The bell over the door tinkled slightly as they came in, and a brown-haired man standing with his back to them behind the counter looked up into the mirror in front of him. Seeing one reflection and hearing two sets of footsteps, he swung around and swiftly pulled a rifle filled with golden bullets from the cubby beneath the counter and hoisted it to his shoulder to point it at the vampire standing behind the pink-haired woman.

When he saw the white gold gun he had given her for her birthday pointed at his face, he began to shake, and his aim became less promising than it would have been had she not been there.

"You're in the way, love," he growled. "I don't want to shoot you, now."

"Drop it, Tenzou," Sakura said coldly. Naruto cowered behind her for protection. "This is a friend."

Tenzou's narrowed diamond-like eyes widened significantly. His aim grew worse as he began to shake even more. "You made a friend with that monster?" he snapped, pulling the rifle up to point dead-on at her chest, shaking ended. "You're dressed like a vampire's wife!"

"I have a reflection, don't I?" Sakura asked, leaving Naruto so that she could walk solidly towards her old friend. She tilted his chin up with the gun barrel. He could have shot her then and there, but he refrained. Slowly, he lowered his rifle to the counter.

"Tell me why you made friends with a vampire," he said.

"He offered to help me. All he wants to do is find his grandfather, Tenzou," Sakura said. "You know I never followed the ANBU beliefs so rigidly that I think every monster has to die. I'm just a bounty hunter, remember? Besides, I'm a half-titan, and there used to be hunters for titans, too. I'm in the same boat with him." She lowered the gun and put it back into the corset where she'd been hiding it, having no holster for it.

"And to think I was once so madly in love with you," Tenzou said sarcastically, turning away to tend to a bonsai.

"To think I almost had your child," Sakura shot back. Tenzou stiffened. "You're lucky I'm infertile, like a mule."

"Don't compare yourself to those braying sacks of crap!" Tenzou barked, whirling around again. "Now, what did you mean by coming here, Sakura?"

"We need new clothes, as you can plainly see," Sakura said. "We need to be able to bypass the mirrors in the dressing rooms, and I know one of your old friends has a store just for monsters. A former hunter, right? And he's still a bounty hunter, just like me. All of the 'proper' monsters love him for making their lives safer."

"You're talking about Genma," Tenzou said. "I'll ring him up on the telephone." He pulled from underneath the back counter a squat black telephone and tucked the receiver between his shoulder and cheek as he dialed the number he desired.

After a few minutes, there was a muffled voice from the other line. "Genma!" Tenzou said. "Yeah, yeah, I know I'm a louse for wanting to destroy perfectly good people, but I've got a pink-haired half-titan and a blond vampire waiting to see if you're available. No, I haven't shot him… Yes, my rifle does have golden bullets in it. No. For crying out loud, you idiot, I haven't touched him! To be honest, I was going to shoot Sakura. I thought she was turning. Of course I still love her, but that doesn't change… She was pointing a gun in my face with a vampire right behind her! Yes, I was. Yes, it was white gold and she didn't have a glove on. Listen, you jerk, just find them some clothes and haul them over here! And if you bring any monsters with you, I swear that you'll be eating that silver needle you keep in your mouth!" He slammed the receiver down onto the hook with a snarl of annoyance.

After a few seconds of stunned silence, the phone rang again, and Tenzou picked it up. "What?" he snapped irritably. "I don't know what size they are, dammit! You know Sakura's size. The vamp's wearing a Staccato-brand suit. One of the black tux jackets, probably size eleven. I dunno, ass, just bring over a few different ones." Tenzou's face flared with anger as he shouted, "I'm not talking to a freaking vampire, Genma! What? Fine. See you in a bit." He hung up again.

He turned to Sakura and Naruto and cleared his throat. "I have some leftover fish in the back, if you want, Sakura. I don't want to see that thing"—he tossed his head towards Naruto—"drinking anything in my house but water, got it?"

"Right, Tenzou," Sakura said, and taking Naruto's hand, led him to the small door in the back that led to Tenzou's apartment.

Tenzou sighed as they disappeared. Maybe if Kakashi hadn't been taken, he wouldn't feel such animosity towards the little squirt that Sakura had hanging on her arm. But, whatever. Kakashi was dead.

—

Genma came by about an hour later with two horses: a packhorse and a riding horse. Tenzou opened the door for him and dodged an aggravated punch aimed for his face.

"You feel better now?" he asked the man with the silver needle in his mouth, who was huffing angrily.

Genma nodded and crossed his arms. "I brought a bunch of shit for you to deal with."

Tenzou glared at him. "Thanks a bunch," he said, and turned around to shout, "Yo! Sakura! Vamp-brat! Get out here and try on your duds!"

"My god, Tennie, you used to speak so eloquently," Genma said, wrinkling his nose. "What happened?"

"I opened a plant store in the middle of Konoha," Tenzou snapped acidly, and Genma clammed up instantly. He knew it wasn't the real reason. It was because there was a hated enemy in his house, a member of the people that had stolen away his dearest friend.

"He's dead, Tenzou," Genma said coldly after a few seconds. "Get over it. That was one vampire. There are plenty of good ones, and I happen to know some of them."

"You never saw his face," Tenzou said bitterly. His eyes widened unconsciously as he remembered, and he began to shake, unbeknownst to himself. Genma saw though, and reached out a hand in comfort. "That look of complete horror… the way his fingers dragged through the dirt… that scream when they first started in on him. You never saw that. You weren't there."

—

The mission was simple: eradicate the family of vampires that were roosting in the forest just beyond the grove of silver maples in the east. It was a two-man job, and Lord Sarutobi gave it to Hatake Kakashi and Yamato Tenzou because they were the most skilled hunters in his entire force. Tenzou was armed with his rifle that shot his special bullets that contained liquid gold and exploded on impact, and Kakashi carried two hand guns, three stakes, and a golden knife. They rode off into the dusk on their horses, Kakashi's delicate black mare and Tenzou's huge gray stallion, through the silver maples and towards the darker forest beyond them.

At the edge of the maple grove, Kakashi reined his Meri to a dancing halt. Twisting and turning in the saddle as Tenzou pulled Ko up beside him, he peered hard into the odd stand of conifers just several yards ahead.

"Planted by vampires, I think," he said. He turned to Tenzou. "Ready to get us some vamp hide?"

Tenzou nodded determinedly and hoisted his rifle to his shoulder. Kakashi pulled Meri's reins so fiercely that she neighed and reared, and he pulled out one of his hand guns and shot it twice into the air. "Come on out, vampies!" he called mockingly.

A flicker of movement caught their eye, and Tenzou's shoulder twitched as he swiftly changed aim and shot at the movement before it could disappear. There was a flash of gold as the bullet exploded and a demented shriek as the vampire fell to the forest floor, writhing and turning to ash as the gold began to eat her flesh.

Kakashi twisted in his saddle suddenly and shot into the silver trees behind them, but there was nothing. Tenzou saw his eyes were wide with sudden fear, and Meri was dancing wildly on her slight hooves. Tenzou knew Kakashi could hear things others didn't—they said he was part elf, but that was never confirmed. (His red eye was a good piece of evidence, though.) What was he hearing now?

Meri reared slightly, and Kakashi held on. She reared again, and he held on more tightly. At last she reared so high that she nearly fell backwards, and another gunshot sounded in the air, along with a pained screeching neigh. Meri fell to her side and Kakashi shouted in pain as his leg became trapped beneath the crushing leather saddle.

"Kakashi!" Tenzou shouted, and suddenly he was jolted from his seat, the breath knocked out of him as an ugly, hissing vampire straddled his chest and prepared to tear out his throat. He shoved the butt of his rifle into the vampire's jaw. The creature leaped away from him and Tenzou swiftly turned the rifle around and shot him in the face. He leaped up after the vampire was shrieking wildly, clawing at his own skin, and stumbled towards Kakashi. Meri was dead.

"It's broken!" Kakashi hissed, trying to ease his leg from beneath the saddle only to be given a sickening crack. Tenzou could see nausea contort his face.

"Give me your guns," Tenzou said, and grabbed them from Kakashi's belt. He began shooting into the conifers at everything that moved, but from one side, he was knocked back over Meri's girth, and Kakashi was wrenched from beneath her with another crack and a strangled gasp of pain. Tenzou looked up in time to see a flash of white as a vampire struggled to reach for his friend's throat. Kakashi was struggling valiantly, but Tenzou couldn't shoot for fear of hitting him on accident. Then blood splashed onto the ground and Kakashi dug his hands into the dirt as the vampire dragged him backwards into the conifers by his broken leg. His neck was bleeding, and he was crying out with each tug. The break had gotten worse, and Tenzou could now see the bone of his shin.

Kakashi reached out to him, and the rifleman stared in shock as his terrified friend disappeared with a violent jerk of pain into the bristles of the trees.

Then Kakashi screamed, and it swiftly died away with a sharp choke, leaving Tenzou shuddering in the darkness.

—

Sakura dressed herself in a short brown leather skirt, tall brown boots that reached mid-thigh, a wide brown belt with a holster, a red corset, and a brown leather jacket.

Naruto took a white traveling shirt, brown breeches, and knee-high brown boots.

"Thanks, Genma," Sakura said with a delighted laugh. "Give the dress to Shizune for me, will you?"

"Of course," Genma said, smiling. "Thanks, Sakura. She'll be ecstatic for the new dress. You two are pretty much the same size."

"Who's Shizune?" Naruto asked.

"My wife," Genma said, still smiling. Naruto grinned back. "Looking at you makes me think of a question, Naruto. What happened to bring you two together?"

Sakura quickly explained her story, and all of the men listened with rapt attention, especially Tenzou. When he heard "Hatake Kakashi" spat into the air like she'd just swallowed dirt, he bolted upright and came toward her.

"What did you just say about him?" he asked. "He's alive?"

"Undead," Sakura said, raising her eyebrow at her friend.

Tenzou turned to Genma, who was openmouthed with shock.

"Do you know who Hatake Kakashi is?" Tenzou asked her eagerly.

"A vampire prince," Sakura said irritably, crossing her arms. "I hate his guts. He tried to turn me. I shot him in the shoulder and the chest. I wish he was dead."

"You didn't kill him?" Tenzou asked, horrified at the very thought. He blinked away the memory of that horrible pained face, of the bone washed with blood that stuck out of his leg, of those fangs buried in his throat as he screamed…

"He's alive," Naruto said. "I healed him."

"Thank god!" Tenzou sighed, slumping back into a chair.

"I thought you hated monsters!" Sakura snapped.

"I do," Tenzou whispered, "but Kakashi isn't… He was a man once, a hunter. He was my friend. He was taken and I thought he was killed."

"That's… _He's_ the friend that was taken?" Sakura asked, her mouth dropping open.

Tenzou nodded. "He broke his leg."

"He has a limp," Naruto pointed out.

"Will you take me to him?" Tenzou asked suddenly, looking at Naruto with desperation in his eyes. "Will he remember me?"

"I don't know," Naruto said sadly. "I was never turned; I was born, so I don't know what happens to memories when people turn. I'll take you to him, but you should probably take that rifle."

"Well, while you're reminiscing about slicing up vampires with His Gloriousness Master Kakashi," Sakura said, glowering, "I'm going to find a cure for werewolf poison for Ino."

"She was bitten?" Genma asked anxiously.

Sakura nodded. "By the werewolf Asuma. Ever heard of him?"

The former hunter and the ANBU shook their heads. "But you know," said Genma, "the best way to find an antidote for werewolf poison is to get it from a werewolf herself." He stroked his jaw thoughtfully. "Yuuhi Kurenai will have what you need."

—

"Oi! Kiba! We need a tuna steak seared to sashimi-style in the middle, on the double!" a rough female voice shouted. It floated out through the swinging double doors and into the rain-washed street outside where Sakura stood with Genma and Naruto. Tenzou had elected to stay behind in his plant store.

"Got it, sensei!" another voice said. The flare of a grill hissed into life. The two humans and the vampire stepped into the warm restaurant, where they immediately saw a tall woman with curly dark hair down to the small of her back rushing around with a notepad and a pencil, taking the orders of her customers and screaming them to the back whenever she had the chance. Her shouts sounded quite like howls, actually.

"Kurenai!" Genma called, waving ecstatically.

The woman turned around, and, handing her notepad to another, purple-haired waitress who looked distressed enough as it was, she swept towards them and planted two happy kisses on Genma's cheeks.

"Genma!" she said happily, holding his face in her elegant hands. "Look at you! How's the wife? How's the store?" She blinked her blood-red, made-up eyes at his company. "Who are these that you've brought with you? They're adorable!" She squeezed past him and kissed Sakura and Naruto both.

Genma laughed. "These are Naruto the vampire and Sakura the half-titan. Guys, this is Kurenai the werewolf."

"Awoo!" Kurenai said with a smile. She turned around and gestured to a table. "Sit, sit!" she said emphatically, shooing them over to the only empty booth.

"Kurenai-sensei, here's that tuna you wanted!" A tall brown-haired man with strangely narrow eyes strode out in an apron with a plate balanced expertly in his raised hand. He set it before an older couple with a flourishing bow and then stood to return to the kitchen.

"Kurenai-sensei, you need to take your notepad back!" the purple-haired woman pleaded, rushing up to them. "Shino and I have enough customers to deal with!"

"I'm sorry, Hinata," Kurenai said, placing her hands on the quivering woman's shoulders. She seemed shy. "Genma wouldn't be here with a vampire and a half-titan if it wasn't important. Get my lazy whelp of a son to take my place." She kissed Hinata's forehead and then sent the woman scrambling off to the back of the room, shouting desperately for the young man "Azu."

Kurenai slid into the booth beside Genma. "You came at the peak of late dinner," she said with an annoyed clip to her voice. "What's up?"

"Sorry, love," Genma said. He pointed to Sakura with a lazy flick of his hand. "The girl over here needs an antidote for werewolf poison, and I'd figure you'd know where to get it."

"She a hunter?" Kurenai asked, glaring pointedly at Sakura, all her former motherly warmth dissipated.

Genma nodded. "For bounties," he said. "You're in the clear; she isn't like Tennie."

"That runt almost shot me when you introduced me to him," Kurenai snarled, and Sakura heard the wolf in her immediately as the woman's curly hair rose at the ends like hackles.

"I know, I know, but I said Sakura isn't like that," Genma said soothingly.

"All right," Kurenai sighed, rubbing her face with her hand for a minute before turning to Sakura. "So, my little half-titan, what do you need Hinata's antidote for?"

"My friend got bitten by the werewolf prince Asuma."

Kurenai visibly stiffened. "Asuma! But, he's dead!" she insisted, her normally soft voice breaking into hysterics instantly. "The love of my life…! His student Shikamaru gave me the news himself!"

"He lied to you," Sakura said firmly. "He's living in a manor up the hill with Hatake Kakashi. Shikamaru's with him."

Kurenai looked like she was going to be sick. She stood up roughly, slamming her fists down onto the table and howling at the top of her lungs, "Hinata! Kiba! Shino! Azu! Get out here immediately—show your faces to your alpha!" It seemed that this was either a regular occurrence or the people in the restaurant already knew that the place was run by a werewolf pack. They all began to finish and get up, leaving copious amounts of money on the tables as they filed through the door in a relaxed, easy chatter.

The four werewolves called hurried into the dining room. Hinata looked especially frazzled, like she'd pulled at her hair. Her shy expression turned sour with stress. Kiba was covered in a heavy white apron and his hair was slicked back with what smelled like fish oil, probably from those flowery-smelling hands that he'd repeatedly had to wash. Shino looked sullen but swanky, mostly covered but as polite as a waiter could possibly be. Azu had hair so dark it was almost black, and though only fifteen years old, was already sporting a full beard. He had his mother's blood red eyes.

"We're going on a hunt," Kurenai said decisively. "I'm going to wring that bastard's neck."

—

Tenzou was sleeping on the sofa in the back of his store when the loud smashing knock sliced his dreams in two. Groaning, he moved to the front of the store and stood for a moment with mouth agape at the people standing there.

Then he wrenched open the door and punched Genma soundly across the face. Genma's silver needle flew from his mouth and clattered across the street. The werewolves avoided it with warranted care. "You bastard!" Tenzou snapped from where he loomed above his "friend." "I warned you _not_ to bring any monsters here, and look what you did! You brought Kurenai and her band of fleabags!"

"Watch it!" Kurenai snarled. "That's my pack you're talking about, _Tennie_."

"Don't call me that!" Tenzou shot back. "What do you people want with me?"

Naruto stooped to help Genma up from the ground, who was nursing a split lip and a swelling cheek. "We're going on a hunt, and we figure you might want to see Kakashi before we have to kill him. Or, you might want to do the honors."

"What?" Tenzou asked, suddenly falling quiet.

"You know he has to be destroyed, Tenzou," Genma said, straightening. "He's attacked over seventy people in the fifteen years since he was turned. You're not Tenzou for this last mission, my friend. You're Captain Yamato. Go prepare yourself. We're staying here tonight and tomorrow whether you like it or not, and we're heading out tomorrow night."

Swallowing, Tenzou opened the door wider, closed his eyes, and let them into his home.

—

Kakashi opened his eyes with a depressing sigh. There was a glass poised at his lips with something murderously strong in it, and he was lying, propped up on pillows, hardly able to move.

"Thank god Naruto took care of the bullet," Asuma said from above him. He was the one holding the glass, and Kakashi took his wrist to guide it to his mouth. He tipped back his head and let the burning liquid slide down, all the while choking and sputtering as he realized it was that horrible vodka from Europe.

"My leg hurts like blinkin' hell," Kakashi whispered, settling back. "And I had a weird dream while I was out."

"Aren't you angry that the little bitch shot you and made a run for it with Naruto?" Asuma asked, pouring another glass of vodka. Kakashi took it with a silent gesture of thanks and swallowed it in one mouthful.

"No, she did the understandable thing," he murmured, settling back again and shaking his head at the offer of yet another glass.

"Well then, what was your dream? And why the hell does your leg hurt? You were shot in the chest," Asuma said as he pulled up a chair close to the bed.

"Dunno," Kakashi said, and he hissed as he struggled into a more comfortable position. "I think it was about when I was turned. Had something to do with my leg—I think it was broken under a horse's saddle." His eyes widened momentarily at some memory that Asuma couldn't begin to guess at. The werewolf's brow creased with worry.

"That's the first time you've ever said anything about the night you were turned by Obito," he said.

"Who I killed shortly afterwards," Kakashi growled, curling his lip to reveal one long fang. "Damn him. I think I was happier as a human."

"Oh," Asuma teased, leaning forward with a grin, "Methinks there is betrayal afoot in the ancient halls of this household."

"Shut up; it's not funny!" Kakashi snapped.

Asuma jerked backwards. "Whoa, sorry," he said, putting up his hands. He pulled a cigarette from his pocket and lit it before standing and leaving without a backwards glance. "Get some rest!" Kakashi heard from the hallway.

"Yeah, rest," Kakashi muttered, and lay down again.

—

_The weight of the two guns feel familiar in his skilled and experienced hands, and he flicks his wrists to send them twirling around his thumbs._

"_Stop playing with those; you'll kill someone," says the brown-haired man beside him, who's got a rifle slung over his shoulder with a careless ease that Kakashi finds admirable._

"_Kinda the point, innit?" Kakashi asks with a grin, and his friend laughs._

"_I suppose, but if you shoot yourself in the face, it's not my fault." The laughter rings throughout the ANBU hallways as they march, linked arm-in-arm, towards Lord Sarutobi's room for the mission he plans on sending them on. It rings and rings and rings…_

—

Kakashi didn't know how long the ringing went on in his head. He awoke to find himself groaning at names he didn't know and faces he couldn't remember ever seeing before this wound in his chest. Speaking of which, he was starting to feel weird pulsations, and that made him feel very sick indeed. How could he tell Asuma that he was turning back into a human? Maybe that was the cure to vampirism—white gold. It hurt, but maybe it worked. It that was true, then Kakashi wanted to find Sakura and kiss her with gratitude. The front he'd put up for the past fifteen years, forced on him by Obito, was one he was growing rather weary of.

But then the ringing in his ears changed to wailing and howling, and several gunshots and snarls sounded on the air. A fight? Kakashi sat bolt upright, only to give a little yelp of pain and flop back down. The white gold was still in his bloodstream, and it would be a while before things settled down and he turned completely human again.

Then there was a crash, and Kakashi opened his heavy eyelids again to see the barrel of a rifle pointing straight at him. His newly-beating heart gave a wild little jolt of glee. "Your name is… Tenzou, isn't it? And we were… friends… when I was… human?" These words were also foreign to him. Introductions, confirmations, friends. It didn't make sense to the vampire who was quickly reverting back to his human ways as his skin began to gain color and his eyes became more focused.

The rifle shook. "Yes," said Tenzou. "I've come to destroy you, as hard as it is."

"Why?" Kakashi laughed, and then took to some wheezing coughs that reverberated through his chest and made his head fall back in silent agony. "I'm turning back into a human."

"What?" Tenzou asked, lowering the gun. Kakashi could see the shock on his face. "You've killed over seventy people."

"Had to eat while I was a vamp," Kakashi said, and Tenzou jerked at his slang. He grinned, showing off teeth that were rapidly shrinking. "Apparently, white gold cures vampirism. Can you imagine? All this time all I had to do was shoot myself in the arm or something to go back to the world I came from. I just remembered you last night, actually, but can you tell me how I got my limp?" He frowned.

"You broke your leg when Meri fell on you," Tenzou explained vaguely. "The vampire that turned you made it worse so that your shin broke through your skin."

"That's just another name, and that was gross," Kakashi snapped, surprised at the clenching of his stomach at the mention of gore. "Speaking of names, though, who's Lord Sarutobi?" He cocked his head to one side.

Tenzou couldn't help but smile. "He was the leader of the ANBU group of hunters," he said, lowering his gun completely. "You and I were vicious, but you heard something that night you were turned and flipped out. Everyone thought you were half-elf or something."

"Would being half-elf explain my love for all things fuzzy?" Kakashi asked incredulously, raising an eyebrow, and Tenzou laughed aloud. Kakashi saw a tear slip down his cheek, and then it was brushed nonchalantly away.

"Dunno," the rifleman said. "But you were freaking out."

And then suddenly, as the last of the white gold dissipated into his system, Kakashi seized up and gave a gasp of pain as memories scored white-hot through his mind. He was aware of Tenzou beside him, and he found he suddenly knew everything about his dearest friend, their escapades in ANBU, and what exactly he'd heard that night.

"Oh, god!" he whispered, hugging himself to quell the shaking and the nausea that thundered through him.

"What? What?" Tenzou asked worriedly.

"I heard what they said… about you…" Kakashi gulped and closed his eyes. "About me. I heard them laugh and say, 'I want the brown-haired one. He'd be best in a goblet.' And then, 'I think the silver-haired one would taste better struggling. He looks like he can be frightened more easily.' Then I freaked. I remember… I'm a human… I… Oh, god!" He pulled his knees up to his chest and sobbed out the frustration he'd garnered over the fifteen years of not knowing who he was.

Tenzou looked shaken, but then others came crashing into the room. There was a woman shouting profanities at Asuma, who was being backed toward the wall as though he were speaking to his wife.

"Kurenai, please!" he said. He was bleeding from several angry bite wounds on his arms and shoulders, and Kurenai swiftly changed into her monster form—having given birth, she could now switch back and forth at east, originally a trait for lactating.

"I thought you were dead! For fifteen years I thought you were dead, you filth! You have a son! You have a son who's named after you! I don't know how you can be so cruel!" She bared her sharp white teeth in a menacing display of outrage.

"Kurenai, please try to understand," Asuma was saying, "I did it to protect our son so I wouldn't hurt him, and then I got tied up with Kakashi. I had Shikamaru tell you I was dead so you wouldn't think I'd left you. I thought about you every day—I swear!"

"What do you mean, 'you did it to protect our son'?" Kurenai snapped. She became a human once again, preparing to slap him rather than kill him.

"You know as well as I that until werewolf children come of age, their fathers are aggressive towards them," Asuma retorted, taking a careful step towards her. She stiffened. "But he's past that. He's fifteen. I can go home now. I don't have to stay here anymore."

"Why?" Tears were coursing down Kurenai's face.

"I know what white gold does. It cures both vampirism and werewolf blood, and Kakashi was shot twice with white gold bullets. He's a human now. I don't have to prevent him from killing more than he has to."

"Is that why you stuck around in Obito's place?" Kakashi laughed miserably, still a touch weak. "I'm hurt. Where's Sakura? I have to apologize to her."

"She's looking for Ino," Tenzou said, "with Hinata. They're administering antidote to her."

"Ah," Asuma said, scratching the back of his neck. "I was going to send her down to the restaurant as a new waitress."

"You've been watching me all this time?" Kurenai whispered, and then with a great sob, she rushed towards him into his embrace. He reciprocated gently, placing his bloody cheek on top of her head and rubbing her back in a consoling way as she cried into his chest. His son, Azu, stood to one side, having never seen his father, and not knowing what to do at the sight of someone who looked so similar to him.

"Looks like we have ourselves a happy ending," Kakashi murmured.

"Sleep now," Tenzou said quietly. "We'll all wake you up when we get you to a hospital."

Kakashi didn't need anything else to cling to but that voice that had been dead to him for fifteen painful years. He slipped into unconsciousness.

—

When he awoke in the hospital, he found himself surrounded by both the familiar and the unfamiliar. His blood pulsed strongly through his veins and he felt _alive_. He could have wept with joy. Instead, he smiled at the group that was around him, so many people, monsters and men alike. Kurenai and her entire pack was there, with Asuma's arm wrapped tightly around her and Ino, most likely human again, leaning against the wolf-mother's shoulder. Shikamaru and Chouji were there, along with Sasuke and Naruto. Tenzou was there, and Sakura, and was that… Genma? Sai, too! He hadn't seen them in ages!

Kakashi laughed aloud, and they laughed with him.

—

Several months had passed. It turned out that Ino had wanted to become a werewolf to join the pack, and Tenzou's hate for all things monster had begun to abate with a relieving pace. Now the group of friends shouted and howled under the full moon with glee as the monsters and men of Konoha gathered in the immigrants' district to sing and dance the night away.

Kakashi twirled Sakura around and around, limping just ever so slightly, but she kept him on track, having forgiven him for trying to turn her. He was so grateful to her for turning him back, and he couldn't keep his eyes off of her. Tenzou was laughing at them off to one side, clapping to the music and then looking slightly surprised as a Roma girl handed him a tambourine to play. Being musically retarded, needless to say after several beats, the girl snatched the tambourine back and began to dance in the style of her people, singing all the while. Sitars thrummed and the sounds of violins shot out into the dark.

Finally, Sakura pulled Kakashi aside, into the crevice of an alley.

"Isn't this familiar?" she whispered, holding herself against his chest. She smiled and turned her face away. "But we're not trying to kill each other this time."

"No," Kakashi muttered, putting his chin on top of her head. "We're not."

The music continued to rage until the sun rose, and the vampires returned to their lairs, promising to return the following night. Kakashi made to go with them, but then, realizing he was no longer one of them, turned to follow Sakura instead.


End file.
